Quinoa Taco Salad

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a grain that cooks similar to rice. This recipe had some yummy flavor.

1 cup quinoa
1 whole red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cups red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cups yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cups green bell pepper, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder, or more depending on heat preference
1 dash cayenne pepper
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cups diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 whole limes, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces, weight baby spinach
1 cup cilantro
1/3 cups cheddar or feta cheese
1 whole avocado, diced

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, and peppers and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in the quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach in strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with t he spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

This was really yummy and easy to adjust to your flavor preferences. I put in a lot less garlic and only used two types of peppers. You can make it your own. Enjoy!